1. Field of the Invention:
The invention relates, in general, to mining tools and, more specifically, to an apparatus for use in a mining drill and bolt driver system mountable on a chuck of a drilling machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
In the mining industry, federal and state safety laws require that roof bolts be installed on the roof of each mine to provide support for the roof to prevent collapse or cave-in. The roof bolts generally comprise an elongated bolt having an expandible nut mounted at one end and a square plate mounted at the other end. The bolt is inserted into a hole in the roof of the mine and the bolt is torqued to cause the nut to expand and anchor itself in the rock. The plate on the bottom of the bolt provides support for the roof of the mine to prevent collapse.
A variety of drills are commonly employed to form the holes in the roof of mines. A typical drill has a cone-shaped head which removably receives a carbide insert or cutting bit and is formed to allow the removal of dirt and debris from the cutting area. The opposite end of the drill is inserted into a hollow bar, commonly referred to as drill steel or a drill driver, which provides a means for rotating the bit. The bar, in turn, fits into a conventional drilling machine.
The holes used in mining applications are sometimes quite deep and a drill driver may have several sections of shafts linked together before the hole is complete. It has been customary in the rotation of the cutting bits to utilize a starter element, a driver, a middle extension, and a finish extension. The term "drilling steel" is sometimes used to describe the elements which are driving a cutting bit in rock drilling.
Such drills, while generally effective in forming holes in mine roofs which meet federal and state regulations for size, tolerance, and concentricity, are not without drawbacks. For example, it is not uncommon for an entire unitary starter element, or driver, or middle extension, or finish extension to be discarded merely because one end of the member has become worn or damaged. Replacement of these discarded elements greatly increases the cost of operating and maintaining the drilling system in satisfactory condition.
With the present invention of a mining drill and bolt driver system, the individual elements are separable into interchangeable sections so that only the worn or damaged section need be discarded and replaced, thereby greatly reducing the cost of maintaining the equipment. The present invention is also adapted for use in systems utilizing either a vacuum suction debris collection system or a pressure water debris flushing system. In addition, the present system is simple and the individual elements are easily transportable, thereby making the replacement of individual sections more efficient saving time for the operator in the mine.
The present mining drill and bolt driving system is adapted to use the mining drill disclosed and claimed in my previous U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,362 which is incorporated herein by reference.